Following his death on December 8, Ryan O’Neal’s official cause of death was announced.

After suffering from cardiomyopathy for years, the actor died of congestive heart failure.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, congestive heart failure is a condition in which your heart is unable to adequately pump blood to your body.

He was sent to Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, where he died.

While no cause of death was revealed at the time, it was presumed that the actor, who was nominated for an Oscar for his part in the 1970 romantic picture Love Story, died of leukaemia and prostate cancer.

Patrick, the 82-year-old actor’s son, revealed his father’s death in an emotional Instagram post.

“My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us. My father has always been my hero. I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life,” he posted on social media.

Tatum, the late actor’s daughter, wrote about her connection with her father in her 2004 book, A Paper Life, labeling him “physically and emotionally abusive” as a result of his drug addiction.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the actor from Los Angeles rose to prominence on television and in films.